Douglas Beattie: We need Rangers back in the Scottish Premiership

SCOTS novelist Douglas insists Scottish fans should be pleased Rangers are moving back up the leagues as they are beginning to feel a wee bit bored by their absence.

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Rangers captain Lee McCulloch and manager Ally McCoist celebrate clinching the Scottish League One title

SO Rangers have won the League One title with ease and taken another significant step on the road to recovery. Hurrah.

Forget any narrow self-interest here, we should all be pleased. After all it is but a short hop back to 2012 when Scottish football caved in on itself.

Back then the Ibrox giants were in administration, with liquidation to follow. Stunned by this turn of events the game, top to toe, fretted about what should be done.

We all know what happened next: Rangers were sent, in disgrace, to the bottom rung of the ladder. Interestingly the momentum behind that move came from grassroots fans up and down the country.

So called ‘ordinary supporters’ have not always been listened to by those running the game. But in a time of great crisis they made it clear they would turn their backs on football if special treatment were afforded to Rangers over their meltdown.

They reasoned that tough sanctions would preserve the integrity of the Scottish game, and almost to a man, club chairmen fell in behind the prevailing view.

Were they right to do so? Perhaps it is still too early to make that call, for in many ways we are still dealing with the fallout of the Craig Whyte regime in Govan.

Certainly at that time the Ibrox club – regardless of the EBT controversy over side payments to players – were flouting some pretty major rules, such as non-payment of everyday taxes. In a time of austerity in all walks of life that was no small beer.

Let us put all of that to one side and simply consider what we love best – the football.

The idea had been that Rangers would start afresh in the fourth tier and the game at large would benefit as they made their way back season by season.

So far this has indeed come to pass. The problem however is that those at the top – fans and players alike – are beginning to feel just a wee bit bored by the vista before them.

Celtic supporters as you might expect were among the most vociferous in demanding Rangers were not, as they saw it, let off the hook.

However they will have noted comments from two of their former heroes in recent days pining for the return of Old Firm matches.

Chris Sutton, a prolific striker under Martin O’Neill, has described as “catastrophic” Rangers’ absence from the top flight.

That was echoed by the Parkhead club’s former winger Aiden McGeady, now of Everton. “It would definitely help if Rangers were there” he said. “The fans would also feel they’ve got more competition and then you would have the rivalry back.”

Remarkably the last of these games took place two years ago next month. They may not always be pretty but without them we are missing something important in the sporting and cultural life of the nation.

As someone who has studied rivalries all over the UK, I can say without doubt the Old Firm derby remains the greatest fixture of its kind.

These matches between the two Glasgow giants define Scottish football whether we like it or not. Despite the unsavoury elements at the periphery we are poorer without their colour, spectacle and intensity.

There is an imbalance at the top of our football at the moment with Celtic hot favourites to win the title for the next couple of years at the very least.

But forget all talk of the Hoops picking up their ball and running off to play in England. For my money we have been over that ground all too often.

It remains a non-starter because there are so many substantial hurdles to overcome. Anyhow even if it were to happen (at the behest of TV companies) they would certainly demand Rangers be part of the package.

The reason for that is clear. Celtic and Rangers – together – are box office. They elevate and sell our game – and Scotland itself – both inside and outside these shores.

Ask fans in any corner of the world about derby matches and it is highly likely they will name-check the Old Firm.

That is something we should not lose sight of. In fact it should be celebrated.